Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Aziza Brahim 2016.May.09 in Koln (DE)

Just returned home, before leaving I wanted to post, but as usual before travelling ran out of time. So now with a little delay here for you: Aziza Brahim recently live in Germany, from a broadcast I catched from FunkHaus Europa, a very sympathetic station, which even broadcasts special news- and information-reports for refugees in their mothertongue (may be the only one doing this in Europe at the moment!?!).

Aziza Brahim in session for Spanish Radio3

I read about Aziza first in 2009 on the now closed tamasheq.net and related re-aktion label, really liked what I heard, so kept following her. Unfortunately she didn't yet come near to where I live(d), so never seen her live in concert, but listening to this recent recording encourages to travel a greater distance for her in the future.

Born in 1976 in the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the Tindouf region of Algeria where her mother had settled in late 1975, fleeing from the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. She has never been to her country nor knows her family who remain in the occupied zone. Growing up in the severe conditions of these desert camps, Aziza discovered music was both a source of entertainment and a natural way to express and communicate her personal emotions and thoughts of resistance.
In 1987 at the age of 11 she, as many Sahrawi students at the time, received scholarships to study in Cuba. After having spent 7 years in Cuba, she was rejected to study music. She left school and returned to the refugee camps in 1995, pursuing her musical career. Since 2000 she is living in Spain.
In 1995, she won the "1st National Song Contest", in the National Culture Festival of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. She then joined the "National Sahrawi Music Group", touring Mauritania and Algeria. In 1998 she toured Europe with and the Sahrawi group Leyoad, visiting Spain, France and Germany. In 1999 she returned to the refugee camps, recording a session for the Sahrawi National Radio with Touareg musicians from Tamanrasset, Algeria. Between 2001 and 2003, she toured again in Spain, France and Germany with Leyoad. In 2005, she collaborated with the Spanish latin jazz band Yayabo. In 2007 she created the group Gulili Mankoo, composed of musicians from Western Sahara, Spain, Colombia or Senegal, mixing traditional African music with blues and rock, recording with them in 2008 her first solo work, the EP "Mi Canto".

Disfrutar de su Música!Come Mango Siempre Crudo!!!

1 comment:

thanks for Aziza, I have not purchased the new album yet but the tunes sound familiar...I've seen her twice and last time was just before christmas when she was already presenting her new album with the same spanish band as in this show...on both occasions I thought the music and shows never really took up to another level if you see what I mean, both concerts were sweet and enjoyable but rather flat...except in zuerich suddenly she called for a special guest on stage, it was Faris Amine who had played as opener, and those couple of tracks (where he more or less improvised since they only met shortly in the afternoon) it all sounded like a completely different band, tuareg meets saharaoui I thought, and certanly the music was more mangue...

About Me

This blog is made out of love for the music here presented in softcopy, if you like something, best support the music and artists by trying to buy a hardcopy yourself and visiting their concerts.

On this blog will be presented: original K7s with music from all over the world, radio broadcasts of live concerts (from K7 recordings and/or radio streams), all sorts of other musical items.Note: selections based on personal manguetic taste.

MY WISH LIST:music I know exist, never have heard, but love to have listened to at least once*Doura Barry - Laureat de Guinea (K7)*Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - early K7s*1980s live recs Super Biton*1980s/90s live recs Bembeya Jazz*1990s live recs Oumou Sangare*1980-85 live recs King Sunny Ade*1979-86 live recs Amazones de Guinee*recs Andy Kershaw BBC Sessions*recs BBC World Music Awards*Tinariwen - early K7s (1992/93)(will be continuous updated)